House advances bill to shield Haitian immigrants in defiance of Trump

The House voted Wednesday to advance a measure that would reinstate temporary protections for Haitians living in the U.S., with six Republicans voting alongside Democrats to oppose a key component of President Donald Trump‘s immigration policy.

The measure, brought forward through a parliamentary move known as a discharge petition by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, won a key procedural vote to advance to a final vote set for Thursday. The legislation seeks to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to eligible Haitian immigrants for three years.

“This is a critical step forward in our fight for immigrant justice and delivering our Haitian neighbors the protections they deserve—and it’s a testament to the strength of our broad, diverse, and bipartisan coalition,” Pressley said in a statement, adding that she was “grateful” to her Republican colleagues who voted for the measure.

The legislation was first introduced in the Republican-controlled House by Reps. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., last year.

“The State Department claims it is too dangerous for American citizens to go to Haiti because of kidnapping, gang violence and widespread chaos, but yet, the administration has said it’s safe for Haitians to return there,” Gillen said Wednesday on the House floor.

She said that “removing our neighbors would not just be a humanitarian catastrophe; it would hurt our economy,” adding that Haitian immigrants “work in critical sectors like health care, education, caregiving, supporting our elderly and working in local hospitals.”

Temporary Protected Status allows foreign nationals from countries facing war, environmental disasters or other unsafe conditions to live and word in the U.S. for a certain time.

The Trump administration tried to terminate the Temporary Protected Status of about 350,000 Haitian immigrants last summer, but a federal judge halted the move. The administration appealed the decision shortly after the judge indefinitely postponed the terminations in an order in February. It is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court this month.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday’s vote.

The House voted 219-209 on the discharge petition to force a vote on Lawler and Gillen’s bill, with Republican Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos A. Gimenez of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York voting in favor alongside 212 Democrats and one independent. Members can use discharge petitions to get around leadership that is opposed to holding votes on legislation.

“Removing TPS status for Haitians living in the United States would cost 350,000 workers their ability to work at a time when we’re already facing serious workforce shortages,” Bacon said on X. “I don’t see the goodness of deporting people who are here legally, working, and contributing to our country.”

He added that he has heard from health care providers and business leaders across Nebraska who are raising the alarm over the impact deporting Haitian immigrants could have on patient care and the economy.

Malliotakis said in her own post that her office has heard from nursing homes in her New York district “that will lose skilled and dedicated nursing staff if TPS is not renewed.”

“These are Haitian immigrants who are working, paying taxes and contributing to our economy and fulfilling a healthcare need. To strip them of their status and deport them to a country in peril would be uncompassionate and misguided,” she wrote.

The vote comes less than a week after Trump posted a graphic video in which a man smashes an SUV parked outside a gas station in Florida with a hammer before he uses the hammer to attack a woman who left the store to confront him. The man beat the woman and then fled, according to the Fort Myers Police Department arrest report. First responders pronounced the woman dead. A suspect, identified as Rolbert Joachin, was later arrested and charged with homicide. Following the attack, the Department of Homeland Security said Joachin is an undocumented immigrant from Haiti.

Trump blamed Democrats in Congress, “Deranged Liberal District Court Judges” and the Biden administration on Truth Social for supporting policies that he claims allowed Joachin to receive Temporary Protected Status.

Drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of drugs despite Trump deals, report finds

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S. But a report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply.

The report — released Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, ahead of a hearing focused on drug prices — found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year.

The price hikes include expensive gene therapies, cancer medications and multiple sclerosis drugs.

The report also said the companies that signed deals with Trump have made huge profits during his second term in office. In 2025, the companies made a combined $177 billion in profits, up from $107 billion the year before.

It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify Thursday in back-to-back hearings on Trump’s budget, first before the House Ways and Means Committee and later before the House Appropriations health panel. He is likely to face questions on Trump’s priorities, including lowering prescription drug costs.

The findings raise questions about whether the administration’s “most favored nation” deals — which Trump said would lower U.S. drug prices to match those in other wealthy countries where drugs are often far less expensive — are having a meaningful impact on patients. The deals with the drugmakers were publicized by the White House, but details remain scant. It’s unclear whether the drugs mentioned in the new report were a part of the deals, though all of the drugmakers included were.

“One of the more frustrating aspects of recent drug pricing announcements has been the lack of transparency into the so-called deals that are being made by the administration,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. “In fact, once you dig into the details, it appears that the administration’s efforts to date have mostly served to help drug companies.”

In an emailed statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Sanders’ report “fixates on prescription drug list prices, which are meaningless because they do not reflect the actual purchase prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter.”

As a part of the deals, drugmakers agreed to offer some of their products for a discounted price for people paying with cash, not insurance, on TrumpRx.gov, a discount prescription drug platform. Many of the discounts are the same as those found on GoodRx, another discount site.

These discounts are separate from the list prices. And while people rarely pay the list price for a drug, a higher list price means drugmakers can charge insurance more.

The new report pointed to several blockbuster drugs that saw list price hikes even as companies were negotiating or signing deals with Trump.

For example, the list price of Keytruda, a widely used cancer treatment made by Merck, rose by 6% to about $210,000 a year in the U.S., far higher than prices in countries like Japan ($37,900) and France ($88,100), according to the report.

Novartis’ Kesimpta, a multiple sclerosis drug, increased by nearly $10,500 to $141,000 a year, according to the report. The annual price of Kesimpta in Germany is $17,300 and the yearly price in Canada is $23,500.

The annual list price of Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, rose 4% to $260,000, more than double the price in other countries, including France ($90,300) and the United Kingdom ($113,000).

Merck, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb did not respond to a request for comment.

Antonio Ciaccia, the CEO of 46brooklyn, a nonprofit group that tracks drug pricing in the U.S., said it’s been clear that the companies that signed deals with Trump did not agree to lower prices across their entire portfolio.

For many of the drugs not included in the deals, it’s been “business as usual and this year is no different,” he said.

He added that while average brand-name list prices declined in 2026 for the first time, that shift was largely driven by policies from the Biden administration, including Medicare drug pricing negotiations.

The report also found that companies that negotiated deals with Trump launched new medications, many of them cancer drugs, with six- to seven-digit price tags.

According to the report, Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Inlexzo launched at a price of about $1 million; AbbVie’s cancer drug Emrelis is about $719,000; and AstraZeneca’s Datroway is about $419,000.

Novartis’ Itvisma, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, has a list price of about $2.59 million. Another gene therapy from Novartis — Zolgensma, for spinal muscular atrophy — increased by nearly $200,000 to more than $2.5 million for a single course of treatment, according to the report.

Pfizer increased the price of its lung cancer drug Vizimpro by about 5% to about $208,000 a year, according to the report.

Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment. AbbVie declined to comment.

Live updates: Pakistan's army chief to meet Iranian officials in Tehran to push new U.S.-Iran talks

Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war.

The meeting comes as President Donald Trump announced the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak later on Thursday about halting the fighting between them. It was not clear what leaders Trump was referring to.

The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continued as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.

The White House said any further talks with Iran would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after it hosted direct talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad.

In a development in the war’s other front, Trump wrote late Wednesday on Truth Social that leaders from Israel and Lebanon would speak the next day in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire after the countries’ first direct talks in decades ended the previous day in Washington without a deal.

Here is the latest:

Israeli forces destroy bridge in southern Lebanon, report says

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency has reported that the Israeli military struck and entirely destroyed the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it did not strike the bridge but “struck adjacent to it.”

Stocks rise as hopes grow for more US-Iran talks

Shares around the world rose as investors grew optimistic of a ceasefire extension in the Iran war.

In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100, France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX were all up by around 0.5%.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 closed 2.4% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.7% to 26,394.26. The Shanghai Composite index ended 0.7% higher.

Israeli warplanes strike southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes have unleashed an intense barrage of strikes on the southern town of Nabatiyeh, sending giant plumes of black smoke billowing over the regional hub of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the attacks Thursday hit near the town’s industrial zone and outside a supermarket along Nabih Berri Avenue, a main thoroughfare lined with shops and residential buildings. The strikes, among the heaviest in the area since the start of the war, also hit several surrounding suburbs.

Israel has intensified its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon in recent days as it seeks to extend security control into Lebanese territory in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah. The Israeli military on Wednesday targeted three teams of medics from Nabatiyeh in successive strikes as they were working to administer aid to civilians and rescue each other, killing four medical workers and wounding six others.

International journalists appeal to Israeli Supreme Court for Gaza access

The Foreign Press Association in Israel has asked the court to expedite a decision on allowing the international media to enter Gaza independently.

Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza independently since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The FPA filed a petition seeking entry in September 2024, but the Israeli government has repeatedly delayed the proceedings.

“The never-ending delays have made a mockery of the legal process,” said the FPA’s chairwoman, Tania Kraemer. “It is time for the justices to put an end to this once and for all.”

The FPA represents dozens of international news outlets, including The Associated Press.

Israeli military says it finds weapons cache in Lebanese school

The army says it found more than 130 weapons, including automatic rifles and pistols in Bint Jbeil, the focus of a new offensive in southern Lebanon.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of operating in civilian buildings.

Iranian parliament speaker meets Pakistan’s army chief

Iran’s state television says on its Telegram channel that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has met with Gen. Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s army.

The TV network didn’t immediately provide further details. Munir arrived in Iran on Wednesday.

Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinians in northern Gaza, health officials say

An Israeli drone strike killed two brothers in northern Gaza’s area of Beit Lahiya on Thursday, according to health officials at Shifa hospital, where the casualties arrived.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two brothers were killed near their house close to the “Yellow Line”, which was drawn in the ceasefire agreement and divides the Israeli-held majority of Gaza from the rest of the territory.

Palestinians in Gaza have reported that the Israeli strikes have been intensifying over the past few days. Deadly Israeli strikes have become a near-daily threat in Gaza, where more than 750 Palestinians have been killed by Israel despite a ceasefire with Hamas since October, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Israeli military says it destroyed Hezbollah sites and killed more militants in commando raids in Bint Jbeil

Intense clashes have been taking place in and around the strategic southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil for over a week, as Israel and Lebanon launched their first direct diplomatic talks in decades.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah was now concentrated in Bint Jbeil and that Israeli troops were “about to eliminate” it.

The military said that following a raid by a commando unit Wednesday on what it described as a Hezbollah “combat compound” in which numerous weapons were discovered, the soldiers “dismantled approximately 70 terror infrastructure sites in just one minute.”

It said soldiers killed “dozens” of Hezbollah operatives in the area in a separate operation.

When Israel occupied southern Lebanon until its withdrawal in 2000, it relied on Bint Jbeil and other highly-elevated locations for strategic vantage points, and the town has repeatedly been a priority position in later ground incursions.

Pakistan PM Sharif visits Qatar on regional visit

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Qatar as part of a regional visit aimed at discussions on the ongoing U.S.-Iran peace process and efforts to promote stability in the Middle East.

According to a statement from the prime minister’s office, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi received Sharif upon his arrival in Doha on Thursday. Sharif is scheduled to meet Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and his spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi.

From Qatar, Sharif will travel to Turkey before returning home on Saturday.

Israeli strikes intensify over southern Lebanon

The latest Israeli operations are focused around the coastal city of Tyre and the hilltop town of Nabatieh, where intense clashes are continuing, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says.

Israeli ground troops appeared to have moved overnight toward the village of Dibbine to the east.

Lebanese official unaware of high-level talks with Israel

A Lebanese official says they are unaware of high-level talks with Israel.

Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s post saying the leaders of Lebanon and Israel would be speaking Thursday, a Lebanese official told The Associated Press there is “no information” regarding high-level talks between the two countries.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israeli minister says Netanyahu and Aoun to speak Thursday

Israel’s Minister of Science and Technology Gila Gamliel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, the first time the leaders of the two countries have spoken directly in more than 30 years.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Lebanese government did not immediately comment.

“Today the Prime Minister will speak for the first time with the president of Lebanon after so many years of a complete disconnection in the dialogue between the two countries,” Gamliel, a member of Israel’s security cabinet, told Army Radio Thursday morning.

Gamliel, who was at a cabinet meeting late Wednesday about negotiations with Lebanon, said the move “will hopefully ultimately lead to prosperity and flourishing” between the two countries.

Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Pakistan says trips by prime minister and field marshal part of peace efforts

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to countries including Saudi Arabia and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s trip to Iran are part of “collective efforts” aimed at promoting regional peace and de-escalation, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

“Pakistan is being recognized for its constructive diplomatic engagement in supporting de-escalation, ceasefire efforts and a broader pursuit of stability between the United States and Iran,” ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said.

Pakistan has encouraged dialogue, facilitated message exchanges and helped create a peaceful space for meaningful negotiations such as the recent talks between the U.S. and Iran, Andrabi said.

Australia underwrites diesel shipments from Asia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government has underwritten the first of two shipments of diesel fuel at prices inflated by the Iran war.

Viva Energy is shipping more than 570,000 barrels of diesel from Brunei and South Korea, Albanese said Thursday at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He said it was “the first of many expected shipments” under his government’s new strategic reserve powers.

Under terms announced last week with Australia’s only refinery operators, Viva Energy and Ampol, the government will underwrite diesel and gasoline import contracts with prices that could prove commercially unviable.

Smaller fuel companies Park Fuels and IOR have since struck similar deals.

Australia has sufficient fuel contracted to last into May, but there are concerns about later shortages.

Trump says leaders of Lebanon and Israel to speak

Trump wrote late Wednesday on Truth Social that leaders from Israel and Lebanon would speak the next day in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire after the countries’ first direct talks in decades ended the previous day in Washington without a deal. It was not clear what leaders Trump was referring to. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond for comment, which was posted before dawn in Israel and Lebanon.

Chinese foreign minister says reopening of Hormuz an international demand

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a unanimous demand from the international community.

Wang Yi told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call that Iran’s sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured.

“Working to resume normal passage of the strait is a unanimous call from the international community,” Wang was quoted as saying in a government statement late Wednesday.

Wang noted that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace and also said that the window of peace was opening.

Consecutive Israeli strikes kill 4 Lebanese medics

Paramedic groups say a fourth Lebanese rescue worker has died after three consecutive, targeted strikes by the Israeli military Wednesday that also wounded six others.

The back-to-back Israeli attacks on the southern village of Mayfadoun, near the bigger town of Nabatiyeh, hit the first group of medics responding to a distress call from wounded civilians, a second group trying to assist their wounded colleagues and a third group rushing to aid the first two teams that had been targeted.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the strikes beyond saying it was “looking into” what happened. It has previously accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group of using ambulances as cover for militant activities, without offering evidence.

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Fire damages Australian oil refinery, further reducing nation’s fuel supply threatened by the Iran war

Officials say there were no suspicious circumstances behind the blaze that broke out late Wednesday at the Viva Energy Geelong refinery southwest of Melbourne, and no one was injured.

The facility is one of two refineries in Australia and provides 10% of the nation’s gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

Australia has agreed to underwrite two companies buying fuel at prices inflated by the war. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned last week that supply disruptions would “have a long tail” even if the Iran ceasefire holds.

The government had agreed to terms with Australia’s largest suppliers Ampol and Viva Energy to underwrite contracts for gasoline and diesel bought on the spot market for prices above normal commercial rates, Albanese said.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Thursday it was too early to tell the extent of the fire’s impact on gasoline production.

“The refinery is still producing diesel and jet fuel at reduced levels as a safety precaution,” Bowen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

On gasoline, Bowen said, “It’s not a positive development. It will have an impact.”

Firefighters said the blaze had been contained to the gasoline plant.

Sharif praises Saudi restraint

According to the statement, Sharif assured the Kingdom of Pakistan’s “full solidarity and support” and praised what he described as Saudi Arabia’s restraint under the crown prince’s leadership.

Pakistan has a defense agreement with the Kingdom, which has faced retaliatory attacks from Iran in recent weeks, causing damage.

Pakistan’s prime minister briefs Saudi crown prince on efforts to ease US-Iran tensions

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to the Kingdom, briefing him on Pakistan’s efforts to ease U.S.-Iran tensions and assuring him of Islamabad’s “full support,” his office said before dawn Thursday.

Wednesday’s meeting lasted more than two hours, and Sharif was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The statement said the crown prince praised what it described as the constructive role played by Sharif and Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in the peace process.

Sharif dispatched Munir to Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders.

Pakistan has long maintained close ties with Saudi Arabia while also keeping relations with Iran.

Military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says he does not support extending ceasefire, according to state media

“We are subject to the decisions of the relevant officials, but personally I do not agree to extend the ceasefire,” said Mohsen Rezaei, formerly a commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who now advises Mojtaba Khamenei on military affairs, Iranian state media reported.

Rezaei also urged officials to be more cautious than they had been before in negotiations over economic matters with the U.S.

He said Iran was setting the preconditions in the next round of talks, not the U.S.

“Unlike the Americans who are afraid of continuous war, we are fully prepared and familiar with a long war,” he said, according to the report.

Blockade ‘has been fully implemented,’ US admiral says

That’s according to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, who says: “U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea.”

The command said Wednesday that no vessels have made it past its forces during the blockade’s first 48 hours. The blockade began Monday.

Central Command noted that 10 vessels have complied with directions to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or Iran’s coastal area.

The blockade is being enforced “impartially against all vessels of all nations entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran,” the Command said. Vessels avoiding Iranian ports are not affected.

The action could put serious pressure on the Iranian economy, while Tehran’s earlier cutoff of the waterway crucial to oil and gas supplies has sent energy prices higher.

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Wall Street hits a record on hopes for an end to the Iran war

The U.S. stock market hit a record Wednesday after adding to its two-week rally built on hopes the war won’t create a worst-case scenario for the global economy.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and eclipsed its prior all-time high set in January. After falling nearly 10% below its record in late March, the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts has since roared more than 10% higher.

Much of the rally was due to expectations for calming tensions in the war and a resumption of the full flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. Hopes remained high as regional officials told The Associated Press that the U.S. and Iran had an “in principle agreement” to extend a ceasefire to allow for more diplomacy.

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US aircraft carrier sets deployment record

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, broke the U.S. record Wednesday for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment, a nearly 10-month span that saw it take part in both the military raid that captured Venezuela’s leader and the Iran war.

The ship’s 295th day at sea surpassed the previous longest modern deployment by an aircraft carrier, when the USS Abraham Lincoln was sent out for 294 days in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data compiled by U.S. Naval Institute News, a news outlet run by the nonprofit U.S. Naval Institute.

Sen. Tim Kaine said the record-breaking deployment has taken “a serious toll” on the mental health and well-being of the crew.

“They should be home with their loved ones, not sent around the world by a President who acts like the U.S. military is his palace guard,” the Virginia Democrat said.

Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate in ‘critical’ condition after heart attack

Narges Mohammadi ’s family and lawyers visited her in Zanjan prison twice in the last month, a statement by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation said on X Wednesday, finding that her health condition was dire. She is weak, pale and has lost weight, said the statement.

The report comes after Mohammadi had a heart attack in the prison on March 24, according to a cardiologist she saw soon after, according to the statement.

The statement said that following the heart attack Mohammadi was unconscious without anyone resuscitating her for over an hour.

Mohammadi is a rights lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while in prison. She was arrested in December during a visit to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad and sentenced to seven more years in prison.

Iranian state media says Iran-Pakistan talks have started

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took part in a preliminary meeting with the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff, Asim Munir, in Tehran Wednesday, according to a report on IRIB, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

The report said more extensive talks would continue Thursday to discuss latest communications with the US.

Pakistan is mediating talks between Washington and Tehran.

US official says Trump would welcome an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict

A U.S. official says President Donald Trump would welcome an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict as part of a broader peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon but has not specifically asked for one.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Trump administration’s position during closed-door talks between Israel and Lebanon, said an Israel-Hezbollah truce is not part of peace negotiations the U.S. is having with Iran.

Iran has demanded a truce between Israel and its proxy Hezbollah as a condition to return to talks with the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday hosted the first talks in decades between high-level Israeli and Lebanese officials.

Israeli prime minister says forces will continue push in south Lebanon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the current fighting is concentrated in the strategic south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil, where Israeli troops are about to “eliminate this great stronghold of Hezbollah.”

Netanyahu, in a video address Wednesday evening, said he has given instructions for the military to continue to widen the security zone in south Lebanon — a reference to areas close to the border that the Israeli army now occupies — and to spread it eastward.

He said Israel is concurrently negotiating with Lebanon, with two central goals: disarming Hezbollah and a sustainable peace. “Peace through strength,” he added.

He also said the U.S. was updating Israel on the talks with Iran and that Israel was prepared for any scenario, should the fighting with Iran resume.

Treasury sanctions Ali Shamkhani-linked network, warns of secondary sanctions

The U.S. is imposing sanctions targeting an Iranian oil smuggling network tied to the deceased senior Iranian security official Ali Shamkhani.

Sanctions include dozens of individuals and companies accused of transporting and selling Iranian and Russian oil through front companies, many of which are in the UAE.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, that banks “should be on notice that Treasury will leverage all tools and authorities, including secondary sanctions, against those that continue to support Tehran’s terrorist activities.”

US ready to hit Iran with economic pain equivalent to bombings, top Trump official says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran, saying the Republican administration is preparing action that will be the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign.

Bessent said the administration has “told companies, we have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure. And the Iranians should know that this is going to be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities.”

The warning comes the day after Treasury Department sent a letter to financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, threatening to levy secondary sanctions for doing business with Iran.

Bessent ‘optimistic’ that gasoline prices going back to $3 a gallon this summer

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that he believes gasoline prices will be closer to $3 gallon this summer, saying pumping oil can resume within a week of the Strait of Hormuz opening.

“I’m optimistic that sometime between June 20th and September 20th that we can have $3 gas again,” said Bessent.

Gas prices are averaging $4.11 a gallon, up from $3.17 a year ago, according to AAA.

Khloé Kardashian says she regrets being in Lamar Odom's documentary: ‘I feel played'

Khloé Kardashian is taking issue with comments ex-husband Lamar Odom made about her following the release of his new documentary.

Kardashian, 41, appears in “Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom,” a Netflix documentary about his 14-year NBA career, as well as his struggles with addictions, including when he was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel in 2015.

Speaking out about her involvement in the project, Kardashian said in the April 15 episode of her “Khloé in Wonder Land” podcast that she regrets being a part of it.

“This is also what is so annoying to me… do people think I just like talking about this all day long? F— no, it’s traumatic,” she told Malika Haqq. “I have to relive things. I have to talk about things that weren’t fun in my life. It’s like, no, I don’t just feel like doing this.”

Kardashian said she “was asked by Lamar or Lamar’s team” to be a part of the project, adding that she contemplated the decision for a while.

In the doc, she speaks about their marriage and being by his side after his 2015 overdose that left him on life support, despite filing for divorce in 2013.

“I think what’s pissing me off is, we did this, all good. I was done with this. I’m like, I’m never going to do another Lamar thing again, ‘cause I’m all good. But now Lamar is doing press,” she said, adding that he’s “annoyed with me. Claiming or insinuating that I’m a liar, all these things, discrediting me, saying that I wasn’t the one that helped him.”

In an April 6 interview on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle, Odom was asked if Kardashian helped save his life after he suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks while spending three days in a coma after his overdose.

“In some ways,” he said. “I think God saved my life. My Lord saved my life, honestly.”

He added, “She took care of me. God took care of me the most. What I came back from was like a medical miracle.”

Odom also disputed Kardashian saying in the documentary that his father, Joe Odom, didn’t want him on life support.

“I was knocked out and asleep at that time, but if you know Joe Odom, I don’t think that’s something that would ever come out of his mouth,” Odom said. “He was my biggest fan. I don’t know where there got caught — translated. I just can’t see him ever, ever doing that.”

In the podcast episode, Kardashian said she tried to talk to Odom ahead of her interview for the documentary but he didn’t reply.

“But you’re not now going to s— on me or now play in my face because you don’t like the reaction and the response from the public,” she said, later adding, “I feel so dumb I spent hours and time doing this documentary as a favor.”

She made it clear that she didn’t get paid to be participate, adding she’s “pissed that I’m even involved” following his reaction.

“All I did was tell the story that I was asked by you to tell, but now to, like, play in my face and now to act like I didn’t do any of the things I did and insinuate I’m a liar is crazy,” she said. “I feel played.”

Reps for Odom did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.

Additionally, during his sit down with Jenna and Sheinelle, Odom reflected on reuniting with his ex-wife nine years after their divorce. The moment was captured for “The Kardashians” Season 6 premiere.

“It was awkward,” he said about their first conversation following their separation. “It wasn’t really good for me, but you know, once you family, you always family, so she ain’t going nowhere.”

Adding, “I will always have love for her, but being in love? No.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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10 arrested in Fort Worth child predator operation, police say

Fort Worth police say 10 men were arrested during a three-day operation targeting people accused of attempting to prey on children online.

The arrests happened between April 1 and April 3 as part of what officials are calling “operation spring cleaning.” Police said the investigation involved nonstop work and coordination with local and federal partners.

According to Fort Worth police, investigators used online platforms to identify and track individuals who were allegedly seeking sexual contact with children under 17.

Officer Daniel Segura said the effort reflects an ongoing commitment to protecting children.

“We are continuously working in protecting our young children,” Segura said.

He added that dedicated officers focus full time on monitoring potential threats.

“Those officers are assigned full time to keep an eye on these suspects and these people who want to harm our children and we’re going to go after them,” Segura said.

Authorities warn that predators often take time to build trust before attempting to meet in person. In some cases, they may suggest public places, such as parks, to make the interaction seem more normal.

Technology experts say the risks are evolving as offenders adopt new tools.

Enrique Lara, a web development and technology expert, said even young children are already exposed to digital platforms.

“I have a four-year-old kid and he’s already using some of this technology. However, as a parent I need to vigilant of the things that he’s doing watching,” Lara said.

Lara said some offenders may use artificial intelligence to disguise their identity.

“They think that they are talking with a peer because they look like a peer,” Lara said.

Despite the risks, experts say parents have significant control over their children’s digital environments.

“The device you give to you children is not a gift, it’s a responsibility,” Lara said. “So when you have something you have the control, you have the timing on what kind of apps you can install on your phone and you need to supervise.”

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.

Stars hit 50 wins as Johnston seals finale in shootout

Wyatt Johnston scored the decisive shootout goal, and the Dallas Stars posted their third consecutive 50-win season with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Justin Hryckowian and Esa Lindell each had a goal and an assist, and Mavrik Bourque also scored for the Stars. Dallas finished 50-20-12 in reaching 50 wins for the seventh time in franchise history.

Jake Oettinger stopped 21 shots and two of Buffalo’s four shootout opportunities.

Zach Benson had a goal and an assist, and Josh Norris and Alex Tuch — with his 200th career goal — scored for Buffalo. Colten Ellis made 25 saves, then allowed three goals on Dallas’ four shootout attempts.

Johnston scored by driving in from the left of the net and beating Ellis with a shot inside the far post.

The Sabres squandered two one-goal leads in the second period, with Hryckowian tying it at 3 by firing a shot through Ellis’ legs with four minutes left in the frame.

It was a relatively uneventful outing for two non-conference teams, having already locked in their playoff seedings.

Having already won the Atlantic Division title, Buffalo (50-23-9) rested numerous starters, including captain Rasmus Dahlin and scoring leader Tage Thompson.

For Dallas, the Central Division’s No. 2 seed, center Sam Steel returned after missing nine games because of an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen missed his third game, with coach Glen Gulutzan hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of the playoffs.

Dallas County GOP chair Allen West steps down amid voting controversy

Allen West has resigned as chair of the Dallas County Republican Party, stepping down ahead of a planned no-confidence vote tied to a dispute over how voters will cast ballots in the upcoming primary runoff.

The move follows internal disagreements within the party after West decided to return to countywide voting for the May 26 primary runoff.

The Dallas County Republican Party released a statement via X:

“Lieutenant Colonel Allen West has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party. We are deeply grateful for his exemplary leadership, steadfast dedication, and unwavering commitment to election integrity and security. His service has played a significant role in advancing the Republican Party in Dallas County to where we stand today.

As we move forward, we are building strong momentum with our candidates and remain fully committed to the hard work ahead. Our focus is clear, winning in November. Together, we stand united, energized, and ready for the path ahead.”

During the March 3 primary, the local party had moved away from countywide voting and instead required voters to cast ballots at designated neighborhood precinct locations. The change led to widespread confusion on Election Day, with more than 12,000 voters reportedly showing up at the wrong polling locations across Dallas County.

In response to those issues, West opted to reinstate countywide voting for the runoff election. However, members of the party’s executive committee disagreed with that decision, ultimately leading to pressure for his resignation.

The Dallas County Republican Party says Tami Brown Rodriguez will serve as acting chair.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.

Former Arlington mayor Robert Cluck dies at 87

Former Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert N. Cluck, the leader behind bringing the Dallas Cowboys to the city and helping drive its rapid growth, has died at 87, city officials announced.

Cluck, who served on the Arlington City Council before becoming mayor from 2003 to 2015, died Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

During his time in Arlington, Cluck played a central role in some of the city’s most visible transformations, including the effort to bring the Cowboys and the opening of AT&T Stadium in 2009.

“Arlington has lost a true visionary. Dr. Robert Cluck didn’t just lead our city; he reimagined what it could be. His ability to build partnerships and see the community’s future potential fundamentally changed our trajectory,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said. “We are a more vibrant, competitive, and world-class city today because of his bold leadership and belief in Arlington. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as we celebrate a life exceptionally well-lived.”

Cluck also helped guide major development projects across Arlington, including the Arlington Highlands shopping center, the Viridian community in north Arlington and redevelopment efforts in downtown.

Before entering public office, Cluck spent more than two decades as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Arlington and later held leadership roles in local health systems.

He also emphasized public health during his time as mayor, launching initiatives to improve cardiac emergency response and expand fitness programs in the community.

Cluck, who just recently celebrated a birthday on March 20, also served in the U.S. Air Force as a general medical officer during the Vietnam War.

Cluck is survived by his wife, Linda, three children and several grandchildren.

Rockwall-Heath H.S. Infiniti choir headed to national competition once again

There must be something in the water in Rockwall. For the third time in three years and the fourth time in five years, the Rockwall-Heath High School Infiniti choir has reached the national stage.

“There’s just something about Rockwall, Texas,” Infiniti Director Lauren Smith said. “We just love a cappella!”

The choir will compete in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals. Infiniti is one of nine choirs to make it to the finals, and the only choir from Texas.

“As soon as they said our names, there was just a sigh of phew, thank goodness it all worked out,” Infiniti senior Emily Ford said. “All of our hard work finally paid off!”

It took hard work, practice, and dedication to get to this point. For the next week, students will get in their last rehearsals before they perform on the competition stage in New York City’s Theater District.

“But it doesn’t even come close to like when you’re on stage, and you have the audience, and you have the lights on your face, and you kinda go,” Infiniti senior Luke Evans said. “Whenever I hear the bass in the speaker, I’m like that’s me, and it’s a really cool feeling.”

“The best part is getting to see the kids just live their best life and love it so much,” Smith said. “I feel like this is an opportunity that a lot of kids don’t get to have.”

Infiniti has finished in 2nd and 3rd place in the last two years, but never won the competition.

“We know that everything we’ve worked on has come to this,” Ford said. “It’s in our bones, and we’ve got it!”

“It just makes me feel really proud and really lucky that I get to be the teacher of these awesome kids,” Smith said.

The International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals is on Friday, April 24th, in New York City.

As immigrant deaths in custody grow, ICE reduces what details are made public

Until late last year, when an immigrant died in a U.S. detention center, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would release a detailed three-page report on the circumstances. As the number of detainee deaths swelled, those reports have been cut to four-paragraph summaries.

Agency policy had been that ICE notified the public and Congress within two days of a detainee’s death, and then within 90 days all reports about in-custody deaths were posted on ICE’s website.

The information typically included detailed timelines, with timestamps of medical observations, regular medications, emergency medications administered and the times and causes of death.

But starting in mid-December, that changed. When a report is released now, it generally includes a brief synopsis of the circumstances that led up to the death.

The Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump has promised to detain and deport as many immigrants as possible, and holding facilities are increasingly overcrowded, hot and plagued by illness. ICE accounts of the conditions in detention facilities often differ dramatically from those of migrants held inside.

DHS did not address the changes directly, but it said in a statement that the death rates were a very small percentage of the overall detained population.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” it said.

This week, ICE reported the 16^th immigrant detainee death this year. Last year, it announced 33 deaths, the most in more than two decades. In 2024, there were 11.

Though the number of people in ICE detention has dropped by 11% since February and ICE arrests are down by 21%, more than 60,000 people remain in custody — nearly double the number before Trump returned to office.

The agency has come under scrutiny from Democrats in Congress over the number of deaths. Much of the focus has been directed at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, which detains more immigrants than any other facility. A detainee died there in January, and ICE said it appeared to be an attempted suicide, but the local coroner later declared it a homicide.

At least four of the deaths, at detention centers in Georgia, El Paso, Houston and Philadelphia, occurred more than 90 days ago. ICE has not posted the final death reports on its website. ICE said one person died from heart problems and another from drug issues. But when two deaths were announced in January, the causes of death were listed as “under investigation.” No final conclusions have been released.

One was Victor Manuel Diaz, 36-year-old man from Nicaragua with no criminal background who died from a presumed suicide, ICE said, though no official determination has been reported.

Diaz was arrested in Minneapolis on Jan. 6 as Homeland Security surged immigration officers to the city in a chaotic operation that left two Americans dead. Homeland Security officials backed off their deployment tactics after criticism arose over the deaths of the Americans, who were shot by immigration officers.

Diaz was transferred from Minnesota to Camp East Montana in El Paso and was awaiting deportation when he died eight days later.

The other, Heber Sanchaz Domínguez, 34, a Mexican national, was arrested for driving with an expired license and was found in early January hanging by his neck at a facility in Georgia, seven days after he was arrested.

The official cause of death was listed as “under investigation,” and the agency has not posted any additional information.

The ICE website that posts investigations has not been updated since mid-February, according to the archived versions of it. DHS said Wednesday that the posting delays were a result of the ongoing shutdown of the department as Congress continues to fight over funding it.

“Under these conditions, certain administrative and public-facing updates are not fully operational. In a shutdown driven by Democrats’ failure to fund the government, non-essential reporting functions can be slowed even as ICE continues its core mission,” DHS said in a statement.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.